The veteran, Prince II and the ‘Messiah’

There was much celebrating after the 2004 PBA Annual Draft at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati Friday last week. After all, most of the teams got exactly what they were looking for, and the fans got a treat. Not only was it a great show, it was the first major peek inside the PBA for this season, which promises to be one of renewed hope and vibrance for the league.

There was much celebrating, except for the 18 draft applicants who weren’t picked, and agonized over each selection which decreased their chances of being chosen in turn. Among those left behind were some name players from the amateur ranks. There was also a trio of guards who - for different reasons - felt they had a more than even chance to be drafted, but weren’t. They are the ones whose hopes were dashed, but now have to walk back into the world, chin up, and go on.

Lou Gatumbato first came to prominence for the Iloilo MegaVoltz in the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association in 2000. The wily, aggressive 5-8 guard has been starting for Blustar in the Philippine Basketball League since 2002, and at 24, is ripe for the pro league. Gatumbato did not disappoint, penetrating and dishing off with controlled intensity during the PBA Rookie Camp. But, come draft day, he was left sitting in the darkening waiting room, an orphan whom no foster parent wanted.

"Of course, I’m disappointed," Gatumbato admits. "It serves as a challenge to me also, I suppose. I feel I still have something to prove. Maybe it’s not yet my time. The Lord has other ways for me, maybe not now, maybe in the near future."

Richard Peter Michael is a six-foot Filipino Australian who was a swingman for the University of Sydney. Possessed of a passing resemblance to Vince Hizon, Michael encountered problems in meeting the deadline for submitting his citizenship papers for last year’s draft, and also performed decently in this year’s Rookie Camp.

"What I did was to get more into the Filipino style of play," the 23-year old part-time model elaborated. "So I played in many barangay leagues, just to get a feel of the Filipino style. The last two months I’ve been working with coach Nick Colon and coach Pat Esmundo from Purefoods. They’ve sharpened up my game."

However, at the end of the day, despite the cheers of some female fans and a couple of good forays to the basket, Michael was left in the waiting room, too.

"I feel I did my best, and they didn’t notice, or maybe they thought I wasn’t quite ready," he says, covering up some of the disappointment. "It’s cool. I know I’ll get there eventually. Sometimes you can’t go in through the front door. So I’m thinking patience. I’ve been patient for a year now. It’s a bit sad because of my family and friends, and I have a few fans. I feel like I disappointed them a little bit."

Lyndon Lagat literally came out of nowhere. The 26-year old balikbayan flew into the country last December after a few years working in Canada, carrying a big dream of playing for Barangay Ginebra and an even bigger ego. With no real amateur background save for playing in a small Filipino-Canadian league, Lagat strutted into the draft thinking he would make a big impression. Instead, he was laughed at.

"I’m sad. I never realized there were so many activities that we would do," he explains away. "So by the time we played, my body really ached, because I’m not really used to using weights. I wasn’t really prepared like I thought I would be," he adds in the vernacular. "I also had a lot of activities, so I’m tired. At the same time, I worked on my application, talked to a lot of people, so it was really tiring.

Although he was also impressed with his more popular fellow applicants, the 5-8 guard’s confidence wasn’t shaken. Despite the fact that he threw up a couple of airballs, dished off a pair of turnovers, and once had the ball just grabbed from him, he remained firm in his conviction that he would make it to the pros.

"There just wasn’t enough playing time, but if you would compare me to the other draftees or even PBA players, I know I can keep up with them."

Lagat also wondered how he got the monicker "The Messiah," and denies ever saying that he would save the PBA. He even felt ridiculed and expressed a desire to take a swing at PBA barker Rollie Manlapaz for calling him that. And despite it all, he acts unfazed.

"I’m thinking, I’m earning well in Canada; I just really want to play basketball here, so now I’m weighing everything. Maybe I’ll come back after three months and try out for the PBL."

Gatumbato and Michael will probably see each other in the PBL’s next conference, while Lagat will try to join them. The story of the veteran, the princely look-alike and the questionable messiah simply proves that the PBA attracts people from every walk of life.

* * *

Catch the latest updates on the PBA on this week’s episode of The Basketball Show on IBC-13 at 4 p.m. The Basketball Show is also seen overseas every Monday morning and evening on PinoyCentralTV.